And At Long Last
by Hyori Ittai
Summary: Because of an ingenious plan by Yata Misaki, he's definitely going to make those two hopeless airheads realize their feelings for each other. And the outcome was way better than he expected... Shouhei x Bandou


From the writer that brought you the Homora one-shots and Yatarella, comes a new one-shot featuring my favourite OTP of all time once again, Bandou x Shouhei! I found this draft from my ancient notebook and I thought that I might as well write it out since I've nothing else to do with my life and I'm down with a slight fever and cough. Expect more of fics of these babies since there are so many ideas written in the notebook I just mentioned.

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And now, on with the usual stuff:

**Title: **And At Long Last  
**Author:** Knuckle-san (also known before as Kasamatsu-senpai and Shouhei-kun)  
**Fandom:** K Project  
**Pairing:** Bandou x Shouhei  
**Rating:** T (because if I recall correctly, happy homo stuff are rated T, also lots of swearing/cussing)  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters; I especially don't own K Project. Copyright thingies go to GoRa/GoHands.  
**NOTE:** Like any of my other fics, this one is also shounen-ai/BL, because I want these babies to hook up more than anything. OTP 5EVER YEEAAAHH

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Was it another usual day in Homra?

Obviously.

Was Yata Misaki still trying his best to make two particular people realize their own true feelings for each other?

Most definitely.

And has he gained fruit from all his effort?

…He's still getting there.

Who were those two oblivious airheads again?

One had black hair, his eyes usually covered with his shades. He wore a jacket and a cap; the hoodie always worn above his head. He was definitely a member of Homra, his insignia located in his abdomen. What made him stood out from the rest was the fact that he was always making a fuss over the littlest things; what he thought were significant things to him, turned out to be complete opposite over most people. He had confidence and at the same time, lacked it. He may look intimidating at first sight, but first impressions were never lasting. He was actually really caring, soft and dependable in spite of his constant obnoxiousness, irritability and arrogance.

His name was Bandou Saburouta.

The other male, on the other hand, had light brown hair with matching brown eyes. He wore an open red jacket over a plain white shirt. He had a bright and pleasing personality, not to mention optimistic. He had a great sense of loyalty as well; he would never betray his friends and even go through such lengths to protect them, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Even though he had such charming traits, he was reckless, careless, carefree and selfish. In other words, he was the complete opposite of his childhood friend, Bandou.

His name was Akagi Shouhei.

Anyway, going through the day, Yata thought he finally formulated the flawless plan, snickering as he mentally praised himself for being a genius. _This is the perfect plan to get these guys finally together_, he thought to himself proudly. He even thought that if someone wasn't going to take action, these two airheads would remain unaware of their emotions for each other for the rest of their lives. Yata was simply just doing those two a favour.

The crow placed a piece of paper on the counter and quickly reclined on the sofa, placing his arms on his back, acting like he wasn't scheming anything for the nth time as Shouhei finally entered the bar, his eyes immediately fixed on the paper, just as Yata planned. As he walked over towards it, he noticed that his name was written over it. He didn't hesitate to take it from the counter and read it all the way.

Shouhei's heart fluttered in delight, and it was seen across his mien, his face flustered and his expression those of a person experiencing total bliss, judging from the note's contents. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but his mind kept reeling the same idea over and over.

"Shouhei!"

This was undeniably right timing. The brunet didn't jump from the exasperated yell of his childhood friend and self-proclaimed senpai, instead, he chirped back the other's endearing name, "San-chan!"

As mentioned earlier, they were polar opposites. Of course, Bandou didn't look as joyful as Shouhei here, but deep inside, _he was_. He wasn't exactly the best in expressing his genuine feelings, after all.

"If you have something you want to say, say it to my face and not in some damn note with your shitty handwriting!" Bandou shouted, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration and annoyance. He was constantly annoyed by the other's attitude. Why did Shouhei always want to spend time with him despite the fact that there were much more other interesting people in this world than him? Presenting one of Bandou's countless insecurities.

Shouhei blinked. "Say what?" Despite him being quite a brainy person, he was usually slow in normal scenarios, take this situation for example.

Meanwhile, the "relaxed" Yata's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. _The fuck? Someone copied my brilliant strategy_? He thought Shouhei was the perfect one to give the note to, because between them, the brunet usually took the initiative and he was almost never embarrassed to express his feelings out loud unliek Bandou. All the sleepless nights because he kept thinking of ways for these two to hook up because he was continuously annoyed by it… Wasted? Flushed down the toilet? But then, he eventually figured out that he wasn't alone in this matchmaking game…

"Don't play dumb!" Bandou's eye twitched, irritated by Shouhei and himself, since he noticed he was always shouting at the brunet at the top of his lungs, when the other was right in front of him. Once his emotions poured out, he couldn't control them really well, since he hardly got into situations like these.

Cold sweat dropped from Shouhei's forehead, unaware of the reason why Bandou kept on shouting at him despite doing nothing wrong in the first place. "I seriously don't know what you're talking about…" he uttered.

Bandou clicked his tongue in annoyance. Did Shouhei hit his head somewhere for being so damn dense and hard-headed? "Oh, then your so-called feelings for me are all just a big joke?" he hissed, folding his arms against his chest, his face becoming redder as he speaks. "Very funny, Shouhei." His heart was pounding like a bass drum, and how he wished the idiot brunet didn't hear it, because he was going to be humiliated forever for sure.

Shouhei didn't know what the heck was inside that note the raven thought he wrote for him, but when Bandou said "feelings", something was triggered inside him. As he gazed fondly at his senpai, he clenched his fist in excitement and put it over his chest, looking earnest and determined of something. "If I did have feelings for you, what would you do?" he blurted out of impulse, to Bandou's utter astonishment. Yata was on the edge of his seat as well, as if he was watching a television drama or something.

"I knew it! You're making fun of me!" Bandou exclaimed. He felt his heart falling due to disappointment; he was obviously getting his hopes up. He expected _at least something_ to happen out of this conversation. "You're a piece of shit for playing with my feelings!" He then came to a realization that there was no way he could meddle with time and redo what he said just now. He was deeply regretting it, because it was like he was finally admitting his feelings for… He shook off the horrific thought and continued to glare at Shouhei, mentally crossing his fingers for the brunet to forget what he just said or it was surely the death of him.

"Come on, San-chan. Have I ever done such a thing to you?" Shouhei chuckled. Apparently, he was clueless of the raven's insecurity towards him. And now, he was going to get a piece of Bandou's mind once and for all.

"A lot actually." A tick mark was visible on Bandou's forehead. Since his temper was over the limit, it was about time he threw tantrums at his naive kouhai. "Like when I felt you wanted to play with me when we were kids, but you still hung out with those other losers—"" He was pretty much counting with his fingers, those moments where Shouhei seemingly 'played' with his feelings. "And you told me we'd be lab partners but you still ended up being someone else's partner and ended up having better grades than me! And that one time too when—"

Yata couldn't take it any more of Bandou's useless ranting because he felt like snapping any moment now, so he stood up from his seat and gave Bandou a good old direct punch to the face. "That's so fucking insignificant!" he roared. "Are you _that_ stupid?" _No wonder you two are meant for each other_! He wanted to shout that particular statement out too, but it was purely up to these guys to find out their real feelings for each other.

"I-It is?" Bandou was rubbing his cheek from the pain while Shouhei stared in utter surprise, sweating bullets from Yata's unexpected rage towards the raven or possibly the both of them?

_Bandou, get a fucking clue_! "No shit, Sherlock!" Yata just wanted to facepalm himself so bad, because this case was becoming more and more hopeless by the second.

At long last, Shouhei finally understood what Bandou was trying to say all this time. All it took was this very moment to make him snap into this realization. He never knew Bandou had these kinds of melancholic feelings latched onto him for so long. "I'm sorry," he said, his face deadpan. "I didn't know."

_He actually apologized_?! Yata's eyes widened and almost gaped, stunned.

Bandou was surprised himself, but he wasn't going to let Shouhei's words sway him for the nth time; it was thanks to his pride, but just a little more of Shouhei's candid sincerity, he was going to give in sooner or later. "Hmph. 'Bout time." He was trying to look unaffected, but honestly, he felt overjoyed by all this.

"Were you really lonely without me back then?" Shouhei asked, his face ridden with guilt. He thought he was going to really make it up to the raven from this moment on, since he never knew how much the other suffered because of his naivety. To be frank, he was exaggerating the situation, with Bandou unmindful of it unfortunately.

Since Bandou's ego was getting in his way of thinking, he spoke carelessly. "Isn't it obvious—"And when he grasped how much of an idiot he was for blurting that out, he almost bit his tongue due to sudden nervousness. "W-Wait! No! You heard nothing! I'm talking without thinking!" Although he tried his very best to convince Shouhei that what he said didn't mean anything at all, he still failed flawlessly, since Shouhei's eyes were shining so bright that moment.

Yata crossed his arms in sweet victory as he sighed in relief. It seemed all his efforts didn't go to waste, after all. "Finally," he muttered, smirking. _You damn lovebirds can thank me and Mr. Anonymous later_… And he left the room without consent, because he was going to find out who the other mastermind was. Because Shouhei and Bandou were trapped in their own little world, they didn't even notice the auburn leaving the area.

"Then would it be alright to tell you that I really like you, San-chan?" Shouhei's eyes were those of a curious child's, expecting a satisfactory answer from the raven. He didn't say that purely out of a whim or pity, but because it took him this long to comprehend his own feelings for the other. It was better late than never.

"W-What?" Bandou thought his heart was going to stop, but instead, it raced uncontrollably. His head was going to explode from Shouhei's stupidity, and this was the very epitome of it. He wasn't going to let his hopes up again the second time, so it was time for Alibi 101. "But you like everyone just the same." He gritted his teeth in irritation. "Damn Casanova."

Shouhei needed a little more effort than this to fully win Bandou's stubborn heart. And off he goes with his ultimate finishing move: "But I like San-chan the most and… I also like you _quite_ differently." To top it off, he held both the other's hands; smiling his warmest that Bandou thought he would melt from it.

"I-Idiot, you're just saying that…" He turned his head away, his face still as red as ever. Shouhei's finishing move was very effective. "You don't really mean it. After all, you can win any person's heart with that stupid charm of yours…" He was using every trick up his sleeve to slither away from this terrifyingly awkward conversation. He wanted space because he felt like he couldn't breathe, but then, his feet was stuck on the floor and was downright paralyzed… the poor thing.

As much as he wanted to charm the ladies, Shouhei got ahead of him. It was always Shouhei. _Shouhei, Shouhei, Shouhei_. He felt sick and tired because the brunet could be the center of attention without even trying hard. But why couldn't he get to hate him then? And thus, he hated himself for that very reason. But at the same time, he found Shouhei as his source of warmth and comfort. The brunet would always find a way to strain his heartstrings. As much as he hated his heart being played around like that, at least he was given attention… in fact, more attention than he deserved from his idiot best friend. And why the hell was he the answer to all his problems?

Bandou was thinking way too much that he already felt light-headed because of it, not to mention nauseous.

"It can't be anyone though…" Shouhei muttered, squeezing Bandou's hands like his own life depended on it. "I've to win San-chan's heart." He sounded serious, and that was what terrified the raven the most. He knew that face too well, he was going to put his mind and heart into and there was no stopping him. The most horrific thing about his perseverance and hard-work was that… his efforts were all worth it in the end.

The raven hated losing, especially losing to someone as stupid and careless as Shouhei. He knew he could be easily replaced with someone so much better. He wasn't worth the brunet's time and effort. Shouhei could try harder than this. What could he_ possibly_ gain from winning this petty man's heart? As each fleeting moment passed by, Bandou felt his heart sinking deeper and deeper; he was letting all these negative thoughts dominate his mind.

"Why me?" Bandou whispered, his gaze still averted from the other. Obviously, he was still in a state of disbelief and pessimism. His insecurity was getting in the way of expressing his true feelings back. "Come on, you can do better than this…" _I hate that you chose me over millions of other people. If I give myself to you wholly, I don't know what I'd do if you leave me with someone else_… He was thinking that far ahead. It seemed his mind was saying all the things he wanted to say so bad that moment. _I'm a useless piece of shit who complains about every single thing all the time and I doubt that you'd gain true happiness from me._

Shouhei could see Bandou's gloomy features and it was obvious that the raven really doubted himself whether he was good enough for someone as bright as the brunet.

Bandou just wanted to run away and never come back. He didn't want to see Shouhei being happy with someone else… He didn't want to have Shouhei to have his happily ever after without him… He didn't want to lose Shouhei before his very eyes. At the same time, he didn't want to fall for him. It would be the biggest risk and eventual mistake of his life. What if they didn't manage to stay together? Their ties would be severed permanently then. They wouldn't be friends anymore; they wouldn't be the same anymore…

"San-chan!"

Bandou snapped out of his reverie and stared at Shouhei. He panicked a little because he lost focus of the real situation at hand here. "U-Uh… Sorry… I wasn't paying attention…" He cleared his throat because his voice was shaky. He wanted Shouhei to let go of his hands, but the other's hands were so warm. Was it so selfish of him to ask Shouhei to never let go?

Shouhei sighed as he rolled his eyes, chuckling afterwards. His senpai was really troublesome, if only he confessed his feelings back easily, and then the atmosphere wouldn't be as gloomy as it was now, right? But this was the very reason why Shouhei was so attached to Bandou. He felt like he was the only one diligent and patient enough around the other, and that in the end, he could meddle and play around with Bandou's heart. When it would take others a million years to make Bandou warm up to them, it took Shouhei only a single moment. And that was something he was most proud of.

"San-chan…" he repeated, cupping Bandou's chin. He hated seeing Bandou being negative like this. He knew it was inerasable from his personality, that pessimism of his. Could he able to shed even a little light into the raven's life? He wouldn't find out unless he tried… and he was going to start now. "You know… you've always looked out for me ever since we were kids." He didn't know where he was going with this, so he was simply going to make up things as they go. "And up until now, you still do. You've saved my life countless times already. No wonder I'm your kouhai—"

"You got that right," Bandou muttered. When he realized it almost ruined the moment, he coughed and cued Shouhei to get on with his speech or whatever. His ego really got in the way sometimes.

Shouhei smiled as he continued, "And I owe you a lot. I really do. You're like my knight and shining armor." Okay, he didn't want to refer himself as a damsel in distress, but at least it lightened up the raven's mood a little. "I know you'll always be there for me, no matter what. And lately, I've noticed whenever you aren't in the bar because you're busy with your part-time job, I always feel like something's missing. No matter how awesome and fun spending time with the others is, you're the only one I can have fun with the most. You're the one I'm most comfortable with. I mean, we've known each other for the longest time and we've a bond unlike any other. But I didn't want to ruin our friendship, so I kept these feelings locked away and went on with our everyday lives like the usual, since I know I'm not really your type and all…"

_Okay, okay, hold up, now _he's_ the one belittling himself? How very uncharacteristic of him._ "And you assumed something as stupid as that? Are you_ that_ much of an idiot?" he hissed as his hands slid down to Shouhei's wrist, his blush becoming darker. "I never said anything…"

Shouhei blinked in surprise. Did he actually sense a little bit of hope for a minute there? Or was he imagining things? But he did hear the raven's words loud and clear. "San-chan?" His heart was thrashing about, unsure whether he should be excited, happy or nervous about this whole ordeal.

"You shouldn't ever mope around like that. That's not you. You're the one who is weirdly bright and optimistic between us." Bandou thought this was the 'now or never' moment, so he might as well make it count. "Besides, it's a failure for me as a senpai if my kouhai feels down because of someone like me. I mean, you're _my_ responsibility after all, right?" He then huffed out of slight relief. Since Shouhei was taken aback by all this (he was obviously happy, _too_ happy in fact, that it made the raven's eye twitch.), Bandou needed something to snap the other out of his trance, and he knew just the thing. "And are you seriously even _trying_, Shouhei? I can't see much of your effort—"

And the not-so-biggest-surprise of the century happened, because this was what Bandou had been expecting Shouhei to do since he initiated "Operation: Closer": the brunet took off Bandou's shades slowly, gazing at the raven's flustered expression and then placed it on the counter as he tilted his head to the side and pressed his lips against Bandou's. The raven's lips stayed shut, as he felt really stiff in his place. Unlike Shouhei here, he was inexperienced. It even took lots of his guts and willpower just to kiss the brunet back. He then suddenly recalled his first love, Saya-chan, out of nowhere, which irritated Bandou to the core. Why did he have to remember that of all things now? He wasn't going to let a little fragment of his past get in the way of this perfect moment in the present… Instead, he was going to save that for later.

A moment which felt like forever, a moment they didn't want to end eventually _did_ end, as their lips parted, their eyes deeply staring at each other.

Bandou was in a state of ecstasy, feeling like he didn't need anything more in life except Shouhei's ever so sweet kisses, and surprisingly, he wanted more of it. But that was short-lived when he figured that it was really a perverted thought, even though that thing was kind of normal in the first place. It just goes to show how inexperienced he really was…

"I hate this…" Bandou muttered under his breath. And when Shouhei was about to ask what's wrong, the raven continued, clenching his fists… "I hate that I loved that kiss. I hate that I want more of those kisses… not just from anyone, but from you." He took a deep breath before he continued once again. "I hate that out of all people in the world, you had to pick me. I hate that you didn't even try hard. I hate that I don't ever want you to leave my side. I hate that I'll hate myself if I don't make you happy. I hate that I always drown in emotions only when it involved you. And I hate that… that..." He sighed, averting his gaze away from the brunet. "…that I like you… that I _really_ like you…" He should have said, _Fuck this, I'm out of here_ right after that. He swore he was going to die from embarrassment anytime now.

Judging by the look across his features, Shouhei's heart was struck by Cupid's arrow. He chortled in utter delight as he wrapped his arms around the other and pulled him in a tight hug. "I'm really glad I like you, San-chan!" He was so happy he was ready to expose his love for the raven to the world, much to his senpai's dismay.

"Y-You're hugging me too tight! Stop it! Someone might see us!" Bandou whined as he tried to push the other away but to no avail; he wanted to be hugged in the first place anyway.

And speaking of someone witnessing their public displays of affection, Yata, along with Totsuka (he was actually the Mr. Anonymous that sent Bandou his note. It turned out Totsuka heard Yata's careless ramblings of his plan so he decided to do it as well.) and the others were watching everything from outside with wide grins across their faces. They've never seen anything this fluffy until now. _Thank goodness they finally confessed_. Who knows what would happen if they remained oblivious? Of course, there was that thing called regret in the end. Without the proper action after all, this would never have happened.

And the end was like the usual, Bandou almost fainted when he spotted his fellow clansmen spying from outside. Shouhei was all smiles. He was in love, so was his senpai. Everything turned out great.

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_And what was in their respective notes, you may ask? It's all up to your imagination._

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**A/N:** I'M BACK! No, not really. Just random inspiration. HAHA. This turned out way longer than I expected. Maybe it's because of the way I RP that it turned out like this? Anyway, I feel refreshed to have written a one-shot again in the K fandom. I hope you guys liked it. And LOL three times the charm, so in this third fic of Bandou x Shouhei, I finally made them kiss! IDK I ship them so hard. I read the manga again and my fluttery feelings towards this ship never ceased to make my kokoro go doki doki.

LOL the last part was troll-ish. IDK I'M NOT THAT CREATIVE.

So like yeah, I dedicate this thing to all the SanShou/BanShou lovers, to my favourite San-chan that I RPed with, to my other San-chan (lololol husBANDOU) and last but never the least, my 5ever loving and caring and perf Dean/Shieru :D ILU


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